


Falls Inn

by honestgrins



Series: Captive Audience [3]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: All Human, Alternate Universe - Fusion, F/M, Schitt's Creek AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:48:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23556313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins
Summary: Inspired by Schitt's Creek: The Mikaelsons were swindled out of their fortune, and they are forced to leave New York and their entire lives behind when the only asset remaining to their name was a town bought as a gift. While the town was kind enough to put them up in the local motel, the receptionist isn't all that thrilled to put up with them.
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson
Series: Captive Audience [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1692964
Comments: 2
Kudos: 40





	Falls Inn

They stared up at the faded sign, all a bit too dumbfounded to speak. 

Leave it to Rebekah to find her words first. "No. Absolutely not."

"It looks filthy," Kol grimaced, clutching a garment bag to his chest. "My clothes aren't safe here, 'Lijah."

Pressing a tired hand to his mouth, Klaus looked to their eldest brother. "Explain this to me again," he said, his expression already defeated. "Your conniving snake of a wife embezzles all of our money and destroys our business, leaving us to bankruptcy while she gallivants off...somewhere-"

"Dubai," Rebekah added venomously, "with _my_ boyfriend. He won't even call me back."

With a nod, he continued. "Right, so, we have nothing left to our family name but a town you bought-"

Kol's shoulders nearly blocked his ears, they rose so high. "Who buys a town?"

"I bought the rights to the land the town sits on," Elijah sighed, having already gone through the details of their last remaining asset with his too dramatic family several times. "The waterfalls are said to be beautiful, and I wanted Katerina to- It doesn't matter." Clearing his throat, he gave his siblings a serious look. "This is all we have left, and the mayor was gracious enough to coordinate our stay at this...lovely inn until we get back on our feet. It's an opportunity to recover and set a new path forward."

Again, Rebekah was the one to say what they were all thinking. "No."

But Klaus tried to rally; Elijah had been through quite the embarrassment, and the stiff upper lip was like to crumble at any moment. If they stood any chance of getting out of this hellhole of a town, it lay with him. "Okay, let's just check in, shall we?" Grabbing his first suitcase and portfolio case, he was the first through the door, where a pretty blonde staffing the reception desk typed away. "Mikaelson, four rooms."

The woman glanced up for a moment, frowning, only to focus back on the computer screen in front of her. "If you'll give me a moment," she said, her voice saccharine despite a stony expression.

Barely holding it together himself, however, Klaus tapped his foot. He noted the arch of her brow at that, but she still didn't budge. "I believe we have a reservation," he urged.

Sighing, she stood from her seat and met his annoyed gaze with a perfectly serene smile that felt eminently fake. She was beautiful, though, and Klaus had a sudden desire to paint her. "Welcome to Mystic Falls and the Falls Inn. My name is Caroline. How may I help you today?"

"We have a reservation," he repeated, his annoyance returned tenfold. "Mikaelson, four rooms."

Her smile somehow grew even brighter, which he assumed meant she was thinking of murder. Why else would someone so bright live _here_? "Right, the Mikaelsons. I'm sorry to tell you that Mayor Lockwood only blocked two rooms for your indefinite stay, something to do with the allowable rate of compensation given your...situation."

He could feel his entire face flush red. Nearly about to rage at her insolence, he was interrupted by the cacophony of his siblings entering the modest foyer. 

"What do you mean, two rooms?" Kol asked in that indignant way of his. "Surely, you mean suites."

"I mean rooms." Again with that saccharine smile - Klaus wouldn't be surprised if she had fangs beneath that peachy lipstick. She opened a drawer, pulling out two pairs of keys. "The arrangements are up to you, of course, and please feel free to visit reception if you run into any issues."

Elijah offered his hand for the keys, a pained grin on his face. "Thank you..." He checked her nameplate on the desk before looking back up. "Caroline."

Finally, her smile softened to a more genuine thing, if a bit tinged with pity. "You're welcome. I think the Lockwoods were planning to take you out to dinner tonight, show you around the town."

"Yes," he confirmed with a worried glance to the others. "So he mentioned. It's been a long day of travel for us, we'll just get settled in."

"Of course. Your rooms are up the stairs and at the far end of the hall. It's the most privacy I could get you."

"Much appreciated, Caroline." Nodding to Kol, he began to usher them out. "Let's go."

But Kol and Rebekah lingered among the eight bags they had between them. "Is the bellhop on break?" she asked snidely.

"I am going to need them to be very careful with the red cases," Kol added. "They are very important to my health during this nightmare."

Caroline grinned, like she couldn't believe they were real. At times, Klaus was inclined to wonder as well. "Hair products?" she asked.

Scoffing, Kol placed a loving hand over the smallest of them. "No, darling," he said as though it was obvious. "Skincare."

Her eyebrows raised, impressed. "Fair enough. No bellhop, though. Call it your workout for the day. That's my nice way of warning you we also don't have a gym."

Twin groans sounded, but both of them appeared to be offended by the family resemblance. Rebekah was the first to run away from the moment, quick to follow Elijah carrying just one case. Meanwhile, Kol carefully stacked his belongings until they were surely a moving hazard once stairs were involved.

Left behind with the rest of it, Klaus latched onto the moment of peace. He glanced over to Caroline, who had already turned back to her computer. "Tired of us already, love?"

"Are you kidding? You guys are the most interesting thing that's happened to Mystic Falls all year," she replied, not that she bothered to look away from her screen. "I just get the feeling I'm going to be seeing you all a lot. Want to pace myself."

"I'm not sure what you mean," he flirted, hoping his time here would be short but satisfying. He leaned against the counter, admiring the tilt of her petty grin - the most real he'd seen from her so far. "Are you so hands on with all your guests?"

She snorted, an inelegant but altogether charming answer. Even better, she swung her chair to face him again and pinned him with a wide-eyed innocence. "When's the last time you did your own laundry?"

His jaw fell slightly, thrown at the question. Caroline seemed to take that as a victory. "I thought so. Mayor Lockwood specifically asked me to make sure your transition went as smoothly as possible, and I'm prepared for any number of...informational lapses. Seriously, I have a list of solutions ready for a number of probable issues."

"That's..." Trailing off, Klaus nodded. With the way she smiled at him, he knew the game was lost. "We've led a privileged life, there's nothing wrong with that," he finally said.

"No," she agreed automatically. "But my freshman roommate at Whitmore was a mess of a trust fund baby. The first time she poured too much detergent in the washing machine, she threw the clothes away and bought a whole new wardrobe. I don't think she did laundry the rest of the year because it was easier to just buy new clothes. Money can change your perspective, and that's all I meant."

She was so blunt, it was refreshing. "Very well. While I trust we can figure out whatever _issues_ arise-"

"The Internet is the great dumb question resource," Caroline grinned.

"-I look forward to having your assistance on hand," he finished, trying not to laugh. "Thank you for your help."

Her gaze was calculating, but that only charmed him further. "You're welcome..."

Blinking, he realized they'd never officially introduced themselves. "Apologies. I'm Klaus."

"The artist. Cool." At his questioning glance, she shrugged. "Like I said, you guys are the most interesting thing to happen to this place. We googled. Hard."

Chuckling, he finally picked up his suitcase and made his way to the stairs. But he turned back when he processed exactly what she said. "We?"

Her amused smile turned predatory. "Welcome to Mystic Falls, Klaus. You get used to it."


End file.
